Aircraft fans will welcome the comeback of Airfix’s 1/72 Spitfire Mk.Ia and Gladiator Mk.I/II – both with fresh markings – as CHRIS CLIFFORD reports.
New decal sheets accompany Airfix’s re-released 1/72 Spitfire Mk.Ia and Gladiator Mk.I/II kits, which are available now. The ‘Spit’ debuted in 2010, while the Gladiator first appeared three years later. Both have been reissued on several occasions, but these latest boxings offer the chance to explore fresh colour schemes via the markings in the box.
Airfix’s Series 1 Spitfire (A01071C) can now be built as Sqn Ldr Brian Lane’s 19 Squadron machine P9386/QV-K, as seen during the Battle of Britain in September 1940. It sports Dark Earth, Dark Green and Sky camouflage.
Above: The Spitfire decal sheet, besides major markings, also supplies instrument panel detail, stencils and machine gun port patches.
Meanwhile, the Series 2 Gloster Gladiator (A02052B), last available as a 2019 Starter Set, comes with two sets of markings. The first, and unusual for the type, is the garb of Dark Green and Ocean Grey over Medium Sea Grey on Mk.II N2309/B of 1401 (Met) Flight, Coastal Command, at Bircham Newton, Norfolk, in July 1942.
The second option replicates a smart aluminium Mk.I, with red/white/blue stripes on the upper wings and rudder. This airframe was flown by Lt Dag Krohn of the Norwegian Army Air Service, from Fornebu, Oslo, in April 1940. Notably, all the red backgrounds with white/blue stripes come in decal form, so you don’t have to paint them… useful for novice modellers.
Costing just £8.99 and £11.99 respectively, these kits represent good value – and provide the opportunity to grow your collection in terms of liveries. They are both available direct from Airfix and its official stockists.
